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Mantra yoga during retreat: a deeply transforming experience

Many people that practice yoga for their body exercise and relaxation, may have never heard of mantra chanting and its effects. However, one should be aware that in the vast territory of the science of yoga, asana (body posture) occupies only about one tenth. All the rest of the yogic science has to do with the mind. And training the mind is the actual goal of yoga. One could say that asana only prepares the soil to receive the seed of light.

While Sanskrit mantra has been the vehicle for realisation for thousands of years in the various spiritual traditions of the world, only in very recent years it has been investigated scientifically. Mantra repetition has been found to profoundly alter the type and intensity of the brain waves, and initiate changes in the physiological systems of the body. Every mantra has a specific sound and when a sound is produced, scientists have seen that the brain wave patterns are altered. Yoga Masters have also said that when such a sound is produced, it alters the formations of the mind.

Definitely, mantra is a purifying force. And the practice of mantra is one of the best methods of mind purification, when it is done with awareness of all the thoughts that enter the mind as the mantra is being repeated.

The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word ‘mantra’ is ‘freedom from the mind’, in the sense of liberation from the unstoppable motion of thoughts. We have always understood the mind as a process of thinking, but mind is not thought. Thoughts and feelings are only expressions of the mind and not the mind itself. Mind can be paralleled with the operating system in a computer. It is the platform for all programs. And every program consists of certain thoughts and feelings. Can you tell which program is running every time? You can, if you cultivate your awareness with the aid of mantra.

Conceived thousands of years ago by ancient yogis in deep meditation state and later depicted in the Vedic scriptures, mantra sounds were specially composed to penetrate the analytical mind and affect our nervous system very directly. During practice, intellectual understanding of the mantra is not necessary. Since mantra is an assembly of powerful sound waves, it is not the meaning, but the sound waves created that influence the brain and the surrounding environment. What we are trying to do through mantra is access levels of consciousness and healing that are submerged in the depths of our awareness. Of course, mantra refine and purify our consciousness. Yet, there are other therapeutic effects of Sanskrit mantra chanting, that lie in the tongue positions of pronunciation. The rich phonetics of Sanskrit strike the palate at multiple reflex points stimulating energy in corresponding meridians that awaken dormant parts of the brain and enhance the circulation and flow of energy throughout our body.

Sound is a force, and this force creates ripples in the vast ocean of the cosmos, just as the electromagnetic or radio waves can’t be heard even though they pass through the atmosphere. In the same way, a mantra has its own field by which it travels. In this universe which we see around us, there are thousands of channels of waves. They are layers or zones. In one layer radioactivity travels, in another layer electromagnetic waves, in a third layer thought waves.

Every day, unhealthy subliminal messages of various advertisers tell us we are not good enough, not beautiful enough or not powerful enough. Then there are other factors, such as the ways in which society subtly grades our racial background, economic background or professional background, which in turn causes us to send negative messages to our nervous system. Mantra enable us to cut through these illusions of the world. Mantra are like programmed vehicles that transport us to spiritual realities, states of mind and heart that we often loose sight of, because we become burdened with cares, or exhausted by the perception of popular culture. At the very least, mantra offer us a means to rise above the conditionings of mental patterns in order to view life from a different perspective, one that brings about healing and enlightenment.  They can help us circle back to the simplistic approach to life and focus on those things that inspire us and truly make us happy.

The deeper layers of mind are not rational. The vast unexplored labyrinths of the subconscious and unconscious mind cannot be grasped or exposed by purely intellectual or objective means. It is a world where symbolism, color and sound vibrations are the matrices and it can only be unlocked by the correct focusing of awareness into the deeper realms of consciousness. Every sound corresponds to a different archetype form inside the brain. The process of all knowledge takes place through these archetypes. Mantra is the vehicle to short circuit the rational and intellectual processes that act as hindrances on the surface of the mind, when we wish to direct the full force of consciousness inwards towards the source.

The true purpose of mantra is to clear obstacles in spiritual growth and bring enlightenment or spiritual awakening. Healing and enlightenment are really two sides of the same coin: it is not possible to have one without the other. To commit to enlightenment is to commit to the deep healing that is necessary to detoxify on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Mantra can greatly assist in this process.

We are aware that the mind is very powerful. We cannot fight the mind, we must use a mantric tool to re-program it. A good place to start using mantra is in the course of a yoga retreat. An experienced mantra yoga teacher can guide the first steps of your practice. A new beginning lies ahead and it is called mantra meditation.

Aum and Prem,

Satyaprem Saraswati